The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air

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The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air ranks 441 out of the 18,229 shows on TV.com.

The 4,397 users who count themselves as The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air fans have written a total of 334 reviews.

Status

Premiered

Ended

Genre

Theme

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A wealthy family living in Bel-Air, California, receives a dubious gift from their poorer relations in Philadelphia when Grammy Award-winner Will Smith arrives as The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air. His mother wants him to learn some good old-fashioned values from his successful relatives. But Will shatters the... more »

A wealthy family living in Bel-Air, California, receives a dubious gift from their poorer relations in Philadelphia when Grammy Award-winner Will Smith arrives as The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air. His mother wants him to learn some good old-fashioned values from his successful relatives. But Will shatters the sophisticated serenity of Bel-Air with his streetwise common sense, much to the dismay of his upper-crust uncle, Philip Banks (James Avery), Aunt Vivian (Janet Hubert-Whitten and Daphne Maxwell Reid) and three conceited cousins, Carlton (Alfonso Ribeiro), Hilary (Karyn Parsons) and Ashley (Tatyana Ali) - and even the butler, Geoffrey (Joseph Marcell). As the Banks family opens their home - and their checkbook - to their needy relative, Will adapts easily to their indulgent lifestyle. Yet, he reminds everyone that the simplest pleasures of family life can't be bought at any price.

Repeats can be seen on Nick at Nite, The N (Noggin's nightime program lineup), and weekday afternoons on TBS.

Nielsen Ratings
(Top 20 or better)

Not in Top 20 in the 1990 - 1991 Season
#18 in the 1991 - 1992 Season
#14 in the 1992 - 1993 Season
Not in Top 20 in the 1993 - 1994 Season
Not in Top 20 in the 1994 - 1995 Season
Not in Top 20 in the 1995 - 1996 Season

Theme Song: "Fresh Prince" Lyrics and music by Will Smith. Produced by Will Smith in association with "A Touch Of Jazz".

Now this is the story all about how My life got flipped, turned upside down And I'd like to take a minute, just sit right there I'll tell you how I became the prince of a town called Bel-Air In West Philadelphia born and raised On the playground where I spent most of my days Chilling out, maxing, relaxing all cool And shootin' some B-ball outside of the school When a couple of guys who were up to no good Started making trouble in my neighbourhood I got in one little fight and my mom got scared She said "you're moving with your auntie and uncle in Bel-Air" I whistled for a cab and when it came near the License plate said "Fresh" and had dice in the mirror If anything I could say that this cab was rare But I thought nah, forget it, yo homes to bel-air I pulled up to a house about seven or eight And I yelled to the cabbie 'Yo homes, smell you later Looked at my kingdom I was finally there To sit on my throne as the prince of Bel-Airless «

• POLL: Best Episode Ever

  Since the game didn't work out, I made a poll to determine the best episode ever.

  Since the game didn't work out, I made a poll to determine the best episode ever.less «

  ballin1347 Last online 10 hrs, 9 mins ago
  4 comments, last one May 28, 2009 + Add Comment

• Poll: Hilary or Ashley?

  Who do you like better and why? I like Hilary more...that episode with her and the dictionary. Also the one with the medication making her loopy. Good times. Good Times. Edit: Poll Added

  Who do you like better and why? I like Hilary more...that episode with her and the dictionary. Also the one with the medication making her loopy. Good times. Good Times. Edit: Poll Added less «

  AngelTails2 Last online Apr 6, 2009
  45 comments, last one May 14, 2009 + Add Comment

• Favorite Minor Characters

  So Jazz would definetly win this poll if he were in it, but who's your favorite minor character???

  So Jazz would definetly win this poll if he were in it, but who's your favorite minor character???less «

  ballin1347 Last online 10 hrs, 9 mins ago
  22 comments, last one May 14, 2009 + Add Comment

•  

  10 Perfect

  A series which involves Will Smith at his best! For a hilarious show that makes you laugh, check this show out, cause you'll laugh right away. hide « show »

  This is one series which prooves the nineties had the best and funniest kinds of shows, and Fresh Prince is absolutely no exception. This series stars Will Smith with his greatest preformance and acting. He does the best job freaking out, his screams is hilarious, and he can act out any emotion, sometimes it can make you forget that he's even acting. This show is hilarious, and I know that my cheeks are usually hurting after I watch an episode because I was laughing so much. The characters are awesome, the plots are full of action, comedy, and suspense, and it'll leave you wishing for more episodes. The Fresh Prince of Bel Air is one of the best shows I have ever seen and I really wish it was still running today.

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  Teen_Tomboy Added Feb 25, 2009 All my reviews
•  

  10 Perfect

  This is the best sitcom of the '90s and my personal favorite. It's just the show that you can watch over and over again. Truly terrific show. And you can see how Will Smith got his start in Acting. hide « show »

  Of all the shows, I believe that "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" is the one with which I can most identify with, since I have surely seen every single episode at least a dozen times - and yet it STILL never gets tired! I cannot get sick of this show, and it's making me a bit disturbed! Just what is it that makes this show so continually appealing, even around seven years since its final episode? I'm not sure...it's certainly not just one element. Every part of this show is magic: the wonderful acting from all involved; the witty (and often painfully hysterical) one-liners and banter between characters; the hip, cool atmosphere; the music...it all perfectly fits into what has to be one of the most remarkable and well-made sitcoms of the '90s.
  
  I find myself shocked sometimes at the number of people who have totally forgotten about this show. Granted, it DID end in 1996, and obviously a lot has happened since then (most notably the skyrocketing music & film career of a certain lead star), but I mean, come on! This show is an undisputed classic! Who can forget the wild, crazy, and just plain amusing adventures we've had with Will Smith and the Banks family?
  
  There were times when I was just addicted to this show, I remember...it was a while back when the episodes were running in syndication every evening on TBS SuperStation...I can't believe how this show can always manage to crack me up. It's incredible. I've grown to love all these characters so much, and even now, I still wouldn't pass up an opportunity to watch yet another priceless rerun.
  
  I agree, though, that yes, a lot of the late, LATE episodes (around the second-last and final season) had their fair share of groans, and showed some glaring signs of tedium, but thankfully, the overwhelming positive qualities of the series tower over such minor flaws - including the mysterious re-casting of Aunt Vivian's role from Janet Hubert-Whitten to Daphne Maxwell Reid; the increasingly old-hat shtick of using the same stock footage whenever Jazz gets thrown out of the Banks residence for the umpteenth time; the cursed addition of a new cast member - little Nicky Banks (Ross Bagley), etc....
  
  It's not an entirely perfect show, certainly (but then - what show is?), and it has had its fair share of ups and downs in its moderately impressive run of six years. However, when all is said and done, in the end, this show can proudly stand on its own as a pop culture treasure. It has evolved from what seemed initially to be an awkward, cheesy, quaint little '80s/'90s Cosby rip-off to a mature, slick, and fabulously written/produced/directed program. Pure gold is what this show is.
  
  A truly underrated, and always entertaining, gem. "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" is one for the ages.

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  VitoMysterio619 Added Jan 31, 2009 All my reviews
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  10 Perfect

  The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air was instant classic right from the start. This happens to be my all time favorite TV show. hide « show »

  The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air is definitely the funniest and most entertaining television series from the 90's. The show was and still is so full that my stomach has hurt from laughing so hard. Not only does Will Smith make the show funny, but with all the other randomness, and sarcasm, Alfonso Ribeiro really makes all us Fresh Prince fans crack up! This is an absolutely, positively great, and hilarious show. It needs to be on TV more often. Fresh Prince is a classic!! And don't forget about the Carlton dance! Watching him do that is the funniest thing ever!

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  TKfan27 Added Jan 23, 2009 All my reviews
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  9 Superb

  The show is about a 19 year old who plays a 17 year old on the show. hide « show »

  The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air was one of the best television shows I have ever seen. The African American show was hilarious and riveting good. The cast did an excellent job and deserves to win many awards. The show featured tons of famous people such as Sherman Hemsley. Will Smith played a 17 year old and grew older throughout the series. Every season the show got better and became more exciting. This show won nine awards and was nominated to thirteen awards. The character Jazz, was played by DJ Jazzy Jeff A.K.A Jeffrey A. Townes. Will Smith and Jeffrey A. Townes are friends in real life and make songs together. Everyone thinks that Jeffrey and Will Smith made the song in the opening credits, but it was actually made by Quincy Jones III.

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  kamalc26 Added Dec 29, 2008 All my reviews
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  10 Perfect

  This show is da bomb! hide « show »

  This is definitely one of the best sitcoms ever made, Perhaps also one of the best tv shows ever made period! Will Smith is so funny! Uncle Phil I think is cool and funny too! Nick at Nite certainly rules for having comedy gemstones such as this! All the more reason to watch Nick at Nite. Well, this show is truly amazing and if you watch some episodes, you shan't be disappointed! Everything about this show to me looks rock solid perfect. The whole concept is well done. Now for the descriptions of the show's famous characters. I like the butler in their big house (probably a mansion? The family is rich after all.) So yeah the butler is cool and he can be funny sometimes too! Some episodes are wicked funny! I laughed so hard one time watching a particular episode! I don't know the name but I remember the part when Will and one of his buddies were trying to persuade Uncle Phil to get something, and they were dressed up Jamaican style with the wigs and all! Man that whole scene was hilarious! This show is truly great and it always will be another one of my superb sitcom favorites. This show I would say is great enough for the whole family to enjoy! There's a lot of good shows out there where a whole family can enjoy it and this is definitely one of them! This show is absolutely fabulous! I also lik Carlton, he's cool too! This show's characters are the greatest. Man, this show is priceless. There's many more I can say about this show but that could take a long time, so I will just say that this show has a lot of great episodes, and I always enjoy watching its superb reruns!

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  MasamuneBlade21 Added Nov 23, 2008 All my reviews